Page 57 of Crown of Slumber

“Then trade them for other animals!” I shouted. “Otherpeople, even, since you seem to care more about your damned dragons than anyone else. Offer to give a kingdom a dragon in exchange for a powerful fae warlock. Or in exchange for livestock that your people desperately need.”

She scoffed and fixed her eyes on the road ahead, her gaze full of fire. “This is what’s wrong with Valora, Fenn. Making exchanges as if these aren’t intelligent beasts with souls.”

“What the hell is the matter with you?” I couldn’t hold in my rage any longer. How could this woman be so naive? “That is how court works.Everything is an exchange. Even lives, evenintelligent beasts with souls.Gods, aren’t you supposed to be a princess? Shouldn’t you know these things? Haven’t you been raised your entire life to make a marriage contract that would benefit your kingdom? Youarea good to be exchanged. That is what you do for your people. How is it that you can auction off yourself to the highest bidder but you wouldn’t dare do the same for your dragons? How is this any different? Are you not also a brilliant living creature who doesn’t deserve to be caged?”

Her mouth opened, then closed as she looked at me. Her face was still flushed, but the ire in her expression had shifted to curiosity and confusion. For a long moment, nothing broke the silence between us save for the clopping of our horses’ hooves.

“It shouldn’t be this way,” she said, her voice quiet.

“Well, it is,” I bit out. “And if I hadn’t been in your kingdom when the curse hit, you would have been in deep shit. Because I guarantee that no one in Valora would have bothered to come help you. Not with the way you’ve cut yourself off from the world.”

Her eyes narrowed into slits. “You aren’t blameless here, either, Fenn. We may have isolated ourselves, but you haven’t done a damn thing to try to smooth relations between us, either. Your kingdom attacked and slaughtered my people, bringing war to both our kingdoms.Youbreached our borders.Youshed first blood. Why the hell would you risk the innocent lives of your people like that? How selfish are you?”

A storm raged in my chest, and I found it hard to breathe. Red crept into the corners of my vision, and I knew if I spoke, I would say something we would both regret. So I stayed silent, trying to quiet the tumultuous emotions roaring inside me.

Aurelia snorted, as if she’d won the argument. “That’s what I thought.”

“Maybe we should just not speak to one another,” I said, my voice tight. “I would much prefer that.”

“Fine by me.”

I nudged my horse into a trot, eager to quicken our pace and put an end to this wretched journey alongside such an unpleasant traveling companion.

It had beena few years since I’d traveled through the Autumn Court. The chill in the air raised goose flesh on my arms and made me shiver. The leaves shifted from a vibrant, lush green to amber, scarlet, and gold. The forest thinned, the sun filtering through the gaps in the trees left by the bare branches. Our silent journey was punctuated only by the crunching of leaves under our horses’ hooves.

After an hour of enduring the brisk air nipping at my skin, I tersely informed Fenn I needed to stop at a modiste in Florien before we reached the royal sector. Although it had been a while since my last visit, I could still be easily recognized. Many people in the Autumn Court knew me. My visits had certainly not been discreet, especially considering that at one point, I had expected to become Queen of the Autumn Court.

The reminder slithered through me, accompanied by vile memories that made my stomach twist into knots so tightly it felt like my body was caving in on itself. Bones collapsing. Muscles shriveling. Blood draining. My body seemed to be disintegrating in that singular, terrifying moment.

My horse gave a loud snort, jolting me from my thoughts. I blinked, forcing myself to focus on the task at hand.

Get to the modiste. Put on my princess persona.

I refused to think about arriving within those palace walls I tried so hard to forget. No, I wouldn’t dwell on that yet.

I traced the faint black marking surrounding my knuckle—a reminder of my bargain with Fenn.

But it was also a reminder of why I was doing this. For my family. For my people. For my kingdom. I thought of the laughter in Gigi’s eyes, of her youth and innocence. She still had so many years of life left in her. I had to save her. I had to do this.

One step at a time. And right now, the first step was getting to the modiste.

The farther we journeyed, the more tightly I gripped the reins, my shoulders rigid and my breathing coming in short spurts. I felt Fenn’s curious gaze on me often, but I ignored him, keeping my gaze fixed steadfastly on the ombre of orange and red leaves before me. The warm colors looked like a burst of flame.

Like a firebird.

Unbidden, a smile crept along my face as I thought of Fenn’s nickname for me. But I squashed that thought, too.

Clear thoughts. Nothing but the burning leaves before me.

We reached the center of Florien before noon. The forest path widened to a cobblestone street, filled with elegant square buildings with cream-colored pillars and wrought iron balconies. All around us, people bustled about. Carriages jostled past us. The townsfolk cast us several curious gazes, and I lifted my chin, resisting the urge to fix my hair or straighten the fabric of my dress. At the Fellspar Inn, the dress had seemed luxurious and fine. But here in the center of a big city, it felt nothing short of shabby.

“Try to smile, little firebird,” Fenn murmured. “They are watching.”

I felt my lips twitch in response.

When we reached the modiste, I took a deep, steadying breath. Fenn and I were here together. This was just another part of our ruse. I could play this role. I could pretend.

For my kingdom. For Mother, Father, and Gigi. Yes, I could do this for them.

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